Healthy Baby and Me, New Brunswick

Healthy Baby and Me is a province-wide health promotion program that has been supporting the young women of New Brunswick in having healthy pregnancies and babies since 1996. The program is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) and is sponsored and administered by the Victorian Order of Nurses. At both the provincial and regional levels, Healthy Baby and Me works in partnership with provincial departments and agencies and with community organizations such as family resource centres, food banks, service clubs, local businesses, schools, universities and community members.

Pregnant and parenting youth of New Brunswick , under 24 years of age, are able to access Healthy Baby and Me by visiting any of the 15 sites located across the province. The program is coordinated by a provincial Healthy Baby and Me team and each site follows a similar format, ensuring that all the participants receive a consistent level of programming and support. Christine LeBlanc is the Provincial Coordinator and is responsible for coordinating the administrative work of all the sites. There are 17 outreach workers assisted by peer facilitators who work across the province with program participants.

In addition to Healthy Baby and Me, women are also seen by the nurses and registered dietitians at Public Health through the provincial Early Childhood Initiative, which offers women individual counselling and home visits.

Healthy Baby and Me is available to women 24 years old and under who are pregnant or have a child under one year old. A great number of the participants are low income, single moms who are living with their parents and are still in school. Christine explains, "At that age, they really need a lot of support to realize that they are not alone and that they can get through this. The basic premise of our program is supporting them throughout their journey of pregnancy and boosting their parenting skills." The participants also receive valuable peer support from the other program participants. "The mothers really enjoy meeting other young girls who are in the same situation that they're in."

The prenatal and postnatal sessions offered by the program are 2 to 4 hours in length and, depending on the region, are offered in French or English. Women are able to bring a support person and their other children to the sessions if they want.

The prenatal program is called the Special Delivery Club and consists of 10-12 weekly sessions. The format of the sessions was developed by the Kingston (Ontario) Health Unit. The postnatal program is called Rock and Talk and consists of 8 to 10 weekly sessions. The Healthy Baby and Me team developed the facilitator's used for the Rock and Talk sessions.

Guest speakers such as registered dietitians, sexual health clinic workers, public health nurses, and first aid instructors may come in to lead sessions. Other sessions may include a home economist coming in to talk about budgeting or someone coming in to talk about transition housing or how to deal with issues of abuse. Christine says the participants "like the labour and delivery sessions we offer because it gives them an idea of what to expect." Other topics discussed include baby care, physical activity, life with the baby and baby safety. All the sessions are filled with interactive activities that allow the women to get hands on experience and socialize with other participants at the same time. Activities may include making a scrap book or story book for the baby or working on a budget for the month.

A major element of Healthy Baby and Me is healthy eating. In some sessions the women will prepare a budget for a meal, go out grocery shopping for the ingredients and then cook the meal. Sometimes the session will be held at the local Superstore where a registerd dietitian who works for the store will give them a tour and teach them about healthy food choices. The dietitians sometimes lead cooking classes and teach participants how to make anything from baby food to a healthy dinner. When the class is not at the Superstore, they will cook in facilities such as churches, community kitchens, or a food bank.

With partnership funding in some areas of the province, participants are provided with one dozen eggs and 1-2 cans of orange juice weekly to help the participants meet their nutritional needs. During the sessions, the participants are also served a nutritious snack. A peer facilitator employed by Healthy Baby and Me prepares the snacks and helps out with program activities. Christine explains that taking on the role of peer facilitator can be quite a rewarding job. AA peer facilitator is someone who has gone through the program already and is hired on as staff to help out. The job provides a small source of income and it gives them a sense of responsibility and some motivation to finish up highschool and get their diploma, or even go on to a career. One of our peer facilitators just got accepted in the LPN (Licenced Practical Nurse) program. A peer facilitator is an excellent resource to mothers who are looking for advice from someone who has lived through a similar experience as themselves.

Healthy Baby and Me is an excellent source of information and support, and plays an essential role in optimizing the health of the young mothers and their babies across the province of New Brunswick.